BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres’ matinee matchup against the Montreal Canadiens quickly turned into a messy, chaotic game that only seemed to get worse as it went along.
The Sabres lost 7-5 and fell to 7-8-1 on the season. It’s inexcusable considering the Canadiens came into the game 0-5-1 in their previous six games, last in the NHL standings and as owners of the worst road record in the league. By most statistical measures, the Sabres were the superior team. They had a three-game winning streak, and the Canadiens were playing their backup goaltender.
The loss was bad, but how it unfolded was worse. It started early in the second period with the score tied at 1. That’s when Tage Thompson skated his final shift. He left with a lower-body injury and did not return. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff did not have an update on his status after the game. Dylan Cozens stepped into his spot at center and scored.
“I thought Cozey did a really good job jumping in there,” Sabres forward Alex Tuch said. “We scored on our first shift. Not taking anything away from Tage, obviously. He’s an elite player. Our power play had some jump, some different looks. I obviously slid in on that spot, and Cozey slid over. We ended up getting a goal off of it. But he’s a huge loss. Obviously, (Thompson) is an All-Star in this league and our best offensive player. Losing him hurts, but we need to find a way.”
Before departing, Thompson offered a reminder of how valuable he is. After a defensive breakdown led to an early Canadiens goal, Thompson did what he’s done often this season and put the Sabres on his back. Just 28 seconds after Buffalo fell behind 1-0, Thompson collected a pass near the offensive blue line, kicked it off his skate and wheeled around Montreal forward Cole Caufield on his way to a highlight-reel goal. It was the blend of skill, reach and sheer will that Thompson embodies at his best. It was also the answer the Sabres needed. Thompson often seems singularly capable of providing that spark. Buffalo came into Monday’s game undefeated in games in which Thompson scores a goal, and that was his 11th of the season; he’s tied for second in the NHL.
TAGE GONNA TAGE 🔥#LetsGoBuffalo | #sabrehood pic.twitter.com/85Q6cCDj2U
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 11, 2024
What made it worse for Thompson is that Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin was in attendance. Guerin is also the GM for Team USA in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, and roster decisions are coming soon. Thompson has been considered a bubble candidate to make the team. This was a chance to make an in-person impression on the top decision-maker.
That problem is less pressing than the one facing the Sabres if Thompson misses time or has to play through an injury. Buffalo has 60 percent of the expected goals at five-on-five when Thompson is on the ice. He’s been on the ice for 15 of the Sabres’ 34 goals at five-on-five and only six goals against at even strength. He has started to round out his defensive game to go with the incredible offensive skills he has shown.
Last season, Thompson dealt with a wrist injury that derailed his statistical production for a big chunk of the season. Having Thompson as close to 100 percent as possible is critical for the Sabres, who have gotten inconsistent secondary scoring behind him. The nature of his injury will be the biggest concern coming out of the game.
“He’s a huge piece of our team, and we need him out there,” Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said.
Losing Thompson wasn’t why the Sabres inexplicably lost to the Canadiens, though. After Thompson left, the Canadiens and Sabres spent the rest of the game passing leads back and forth. Montreal went up 2-1 on a goal from Cole Caufield, but the Sabres came back with two goals in less than a minute to go up 3-2. In the final minute of the second period, the Sabres committed the hockey sin of allowing not just one but two goals.
That prompted Ruff to pull Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Ruff later noted that Luukkonen “had a little bit of an ailment” that he suffered in practice Sunday and was impacting his play. He allowed four goals on 1.43 expected goals and 18 shots against. By the second intermission, the Sabres were losing 4-3 with Thompson, Luukkonen and Mattias Samuelsson all out of the game, in part because of injuries.
Even still, goals from Dahlin and JJ Peterka in the first four minutes of the third period gave the Sabres a 5-4 lead. They didn’t allow the Canadiens to get a shot on goal in the third period until more than 10 minutes had passed. But that first shot beat Devon Levi and found the back of the net. It was the first of three unanswered goals in an ugly loss. Ruff lamented the careless penalties the Sabres took and poor puck management. Those are familiar problems for a team that still hasn’t been above a .500 points percentage all season.
“We got humbled today,” Dahlin said. “We were very excited about our previous games. I don’t know. We know if you’re not showing up 100 percent, it’s hard to win in this league. We’re going to work hard going forward.”
The idea of a team that hasn’t made the playoffs needing to be humbled is probably tough for the fans to fathom. Ruff has talked all season about how the team needs to learn how not to beat itself. He said Monday it isn’t there yet.
“I think we created momentum for ourself; we just didn’t take care of it,” Dahlin said. “We have to look ourselves in the mirror after this game and really dig in. We can’t play like that if we want to win.”
Quick hits
1. Owen Power had two assists Monday but was on the ice for four goals against at five-on-five. On one, Ruff singled out Power as being “outmuscled” in a puck battle that allowed Nick Suzuki an easy scoring opportunity. When Power was on the ice at five-on-five, the Sabres had 42 percent of the expected goals. Power continues to be capable of driving play offensively but still needs to develop more of an edge when defending in his own end.
Suzuki again, 4-3 #sabrehood #gohabsgo pic.twitter.com/XgmwNQTl0Q
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) November 11, 2024
2. The Canadiens had 16 scoring chances at five-on-five; 10 came with Jacob Bryson on the ice. Bryson had been filling in well as Power’s partner on the second pair during Buffalo’s winning streak. Samuelsson’s injury put more stress on the defense with just five healthy players, and Bryson’s play suffered.
3. This was a tough day to be a goalie in Buffalo. Luukkonen’s injury helps explain his uneven showing, but the Sabres needed more from Levi, who stepped in and allowed two goals on four shots against. The Sabres allowed seven goals on 3.09 expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. Even including the empty-netter at the end, that disparity isn’t going to win a lot of games. We saw what top-end goaltending can do for this team during its winning streak. If Luukkonen isn’t healthy enough to provide that, it’s going to put a strain on this team.
(Photo: Jeffrey T. Barnes / Associated Press)
